Love or Death
by ync
Summary: Sora and Kairi have found each other again. They have grown older and their feeling for each other have grown too. But will they get to admit them to each other before Sora competes in the Death Tournament. Who ever loses dies. Will it get out and will So
1. Back Again

~chapter 1~  
  
The clouds parted revealing the sun and a bright blue sky. Kairi looked up and smiled, "Well I guess it might be a nice day after all." She paused and looked down at a bracelet she was wearing. It had a little yellow star on it. She started to think of when she got it. Sora had given it to her. He said he made it himself....Or tried. She smiled to herself, "Sora I better see you soon or I'll go out there and look for you myself."   
  
She looked down the little road with shops not even open. She looked at her watch. "3..2..1..go."  
  
All the lights turned off on the corners of the street and all the windows to the shops burst open.  
  
"Well that was quick." Kairi sighed. "Tidus needed some string.." She looked around. She spotted a little accessory shop on the far corner. "Ah there we go." She ran over to it. She ran up the stairs and opened the door to go inside.   
  
When she got in a man at the counter was reading a paper. There was another man standing by the counter talking with him.  
  
"What's happening in the coliseum this week? Come on tell me." He said bouncing up and down.  
  
"A fight." The man reading the paper replied.  
  
"Well I know that but what kind of fight?" The man asked again.  
  
Kairi spotted some string hanging from a hook on the wall. "Hope this will do." She headed toward the counter.  
  
"It's a fight with a teenage guy who has a magician person who is a duck and a knight who is sort of like a dog." The man replied putting down the paper.  
  
Kairi jolted to a stop and dropped the string.  
  
The men both looked at her. "Is there anything wrong miss?"  
  
She ran over to the counter, "What did you say?"  
  
"What do you mean?" The man at the counter asked.  
  
"The fight with the teenage guy. Him, what about it?" Kairi yelled.  
  
"Oh that guy." The man at the counter sighed. "He's gonna be participating in a fight at the coliseum sometime this week."  
  
Kairi screamed with a wide smile and ran out of the store.  
  
"I wonder what that was for?" The man at the counter wondered scratching his head.  
  
"She forgot the string." The other man said pointing at it on the ground.  
  
Kairi ran threw the village thinking to herself, screaming in her head. 'He's coming back, he's coming back! I can see him again!' She turned a corner and someone grabbed her hand. It was Yuffie.  
  
"Whoa where's the fire?" She asked.  
  
"SORA! HE'S COMING BACK!" Kairi screamed.  
  
"Wait. What? Are you saying that Sora the keyblade master is coming here!?" Yuffie yelled.  
  
Kairi nodded her head with a smile on her face, "He's coming back!"  
  
Yuffie laughed, "We have to tell Squall."   
  
Yuffie started to run still holding Kairi's hand. She wrapped around corner after corner never stopping for a break. They came into an alleyway and ran down it. There was a pile of boxes at the end.  
  
"Prepare to jump!" Yuffie yelled lookin back at Kairi.  
  
They approached the boxes and jumped over it. They ran into a wide open area with carts, shops, and stores everywhere. They ran down the little paths in between the shops and stores dodging carts. They ran behind a store and came around a corner where there was a huge crowd. Yuffie let go of Kairi's hand, "Just keep running to the house okay!" She jumped over the crowd and kept running.  
  
Kairi began to push her way through the crowd. She began to run pushing them out of the way saying a sorry after. One of the people pushed her around so she was running backwards. She hit someone's back and the both fell to the ground.  
  
Kairi sat up, opened her eyes and grabbed her head. "Ow gosh that hurt." She stood up with her eyes closed still grabbing her head.  
  
"Are you okay?" Someone asked behind her.  
  
Kairi turned around with her eyes still closed. "Yea just a bump heh." She opened her eyes and a young man was standing in front of her. Flash backs swept through her mind. Images of Sora and her. The last time she saw him was the longest.  
  
"Sora?" Kairi whispered.  
  
The young man in front of her looked at her. "What?"  
  
"It's you! I know it is!" Kairi yelled hugging him.  
  
"How do you..?" He asked looking at her. An image flew threw his mind. Back at Hollow Bastion. When Kairi had turned him back into a human. When they were hugging before. He looked down at her. "Kairi it's you."  
  
Kairi looked up at him and nodded. "Sora I knew it was you!" She let go of him quickly. "WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN!"  
  
Sora twitched and looked at her. "Eh you know doin my job." He swung his keyblade up onto his shoulder. "Fighting heartless."  
  
"Competing in competitions at the coliseum." Kairi said crossing her arms. Her voice went soft. "You said you would come back as soon as you could."  
  
Sora frowned. "I'm sorry okay but I haven't been able to."  
  
"THEN WHY ARE YOU HERE!" Kairi yelled.  
  
"Because he's on official business isn't that right?" Leon asked appearing through the crowd with Yuffie.  
  
"I knew you wouldn't make it heh." Yuffie smiled. 


	2. Questions

~chapter 2~  
  
"So what have you been up to anyways?" Kairi asked splashing her feet around in the water.  
  
"Nothin much." Sora replied laying down. "Just fighting heartless. Competing in tournaments. The keyblade master stuff."  
  
Kairi smiled, "Your clothes have changed." She turned around, "Black."  
  
"I thought I should go with something a little less.......bright like before. Red, yellow, and a little black." Sora smiled.  
  
"So black is a favorite color now?" Kairi asked.   
  
"Black is just a color." Sora said sitting up. "My main focus right now is training for the competition in a few days."  
  
Kairi sighed and looked back into the water. The sunset made it look pink like back at home on the Destiny Islands. She thought about when Sora and her first met. They were little, just kids. She had come from another island and Sora had been born there along with Riku. She turned around again. "Where's Riku?"  
  
  
  
Sora looked at her, "Riku. I don't know actually. But the last time where I saw him was the last time I saw you."  
  
  
  
"At Hollow Bastion?" Kairi asked.  
  
"No, when we were being pulled away from each other. I had just fought Ansem. He had just disappeared from the light of the door of light. When he was gone I had to go shut the door. Inside it was swarming with heartless so I started to close it. Then King Mickey appeared, the ruler of another world, and he and I closed the door. And then Riku popped up and helped me and finally we closed the door then it disappeared." Sora replied. "I have no idea where he is now."  
  
  
  
Kairi frowned and wrapped her arms around her legs. "I hope he's okay. Where ever he is."  
  
Sora stood up, "I do too." he yawned, "But right now I'm tired."  
  
  
  
Kairi looked up at him still with a frown, "Why is it you always get tired even when we're talking about something sad like that?"  
  
  
  
"Sad things make me tired, or eager to battle. Talking about it makes me tired." Sora replied putting his hands behind his head and his elbows up in the air. "So I'm gonna go get some sleep."  
  
  
  
Kairi looked back down at the water, "You won't leave will you?"  
  
"Why would I leave?" Sora asked.  
  
  
  
"I don't know it's just something that just popped into my head. I mean you were gone for so long and....." Kairi said beginning to yawn.  
  
Sora looked at her. He saw her eyes dropping.  
  
"It's just...I don't want you to..." Kairi yawned and then fell over and fell asleep.  
  
Sora smiled and then picked her up and carried her back into town to Squall and Yuffie's house. "I'm not gonna leave." 


	3. Death Match Revealed

~chapter 3~  
  
Kairi awoke to the breeze from her window and to Yuffie snoring in a nearby chair. She smiled and then get out of bed. Opened then door and walked down the creaky stairs. Leon sitting in a chair with a news paper looked up at her.  
  
"He's already left." he said quietly.  
  
Kairi looked at him, "What makes you think I'm looking for him?"  
  
Leon sighed and then looked at the paper again, "With you it's pretty obvious. But just so you know he left before we all got up. So if you're going to ask me where he is," he looked at her, "I have no idea where he is."  
  
Kairi rolled her eyes with a smile, "Well then that's what looking is for. I know he won't leave here or wouldn't with out saying bye."  
  
Leon now looking at his paper again, "Do what ever you want but if you get lost then don't count on anyone looking for you."  
  
"Why would I count on you?" Kairi smiled as she walked out the door.  
  
Yuffie walked down the stairs, "Where's everybody going?"  
  
"Am I allowed to read the paper or do I have to keep answering to people's questions?" Leon sighed.  
  
Yuffie smiled and then ran out the door. She caught up to Kairi, "And where might the Keyblade master be?"  
  
Kairi looked at her.  
  
"I take it Squall didn't know, or wouldn't answer." Yuffie smiled.  
  
Kairi nodded and then looked on ahead, "We'll just have to look."  
  
"What's the shame in that?" Yuffie laughed, "I mean we've only been doing that for HOW LONG?"  
  
Kairi laughed and then put her arms behind her back, "This is different cause we know he's here."  
  
  
  
Sora looked at Donald as he swung his mages staff in front of his face. "Alright, alright I'll keep doing it." He jumped up and swung his keyblade around and dropped it. Donald hit him on the head and Sora turned around and looked at him in frustration, "HEY YOU DO IT WITH THAT THING!"  
  
Donald crossed his arms.  
  
"Fine, be that way." Sora sighed picking up they keyblade. "Since I'm going to be the one doing most of the fighting."  
  
Donald through his staff at him but Sora blocked it with the keyblade.  
  
"You're not the only one." Goofy said separating them both from hitting each other. "We'll all fighting."  
  
Donald sighed, "He thinks he's the only one."  
  
"Your the one who's pushing me to do things in a big hurry." Sora said looking at him.  
  
"You're not ready! You need to be trained!" Donald yelled in fury.  
  
"Maybe I need a break!" Sora yelled swinging his keyblade over his shoulder. "In fact I think I'll have one now."  
  
Donald jumped up and down, "YOU'RE NOT GOING ANYWHERE!"  
  
But Sora had already left their view. He walked down the path that lead back into the town. He sighed, "Why does he have to be such a jerk?" He ran his hand through his hair. "I mean it's not like I can get it right, right then and there." He stopped walking and a little star flew into view and then stuck straight up out of the ground in front of him. "Oh great." he heard a slight yell and then someone landed on his shoulders and then flipped off in front of him.   
  
"Why are you here?" Sora asked.  
  
"Because she can be." A voice said from behind him.  
  
Sora turned around and Kairi was there.   
  
"You left with out saying anything this morning." Kairi said kicking up some dirt.  
  
"Donald pretty much knocked me unconscious and dragged me to a training ground, not really like I had a choice." Sora sighed.  
  
"Suuuuuuuuure." Yuffie smiled pulling her star out of the ground. "So why where you training?"  
  
"A competition at the coliseum." Kairi replied walking past him and next to Yuffie.  
  
Yuffie smiled, "I think Squall might be participating. Either that or Cloud."  
  
"Cloud?" Sora asked. "He might fight? Leon too?"  
  
Yuffie nodded, "Yep that's what I heard, but Squall is still deciding. I'm not though cause that type of battle is to serious."  
  
Kairi looked at Yuffie quickly, "What do you mean serious?"  
  
"Uhhhhhh." Sora said turning around.  
  
"Oh this isn't going to be a regular match. It's a death cup. If you don't win you die, it's simple really." Yuffie replied.  
  
Kairi looked at Sora who was beginning to walk away, "WHAT DO YOU MEAN YOU'RE GONNA PARTICAPATE IN THAT KIND OF MATCH!?"  
  
Sora turned around quickly, "I have no choice. It's...."  
  
"Keyblade master rules." Yuffie finished. "It's his duty to fulfill what is his job. Including matches, keyholes, and other things."  
  
"BUT A DEATH MATCH!?" Kairi yelled.  
  
Sora dropped his keyblade, "Do you think I want to participate!? It's not like I want to take the chance of dieing Kairi! It's just.............. It's my job." 


	4. Arguments

~chapter 4~  
  
"So when is this match happening?" Yuffie asked sitting down.  
  
Sora sighed, "Next week."  
  
Yuffie looked at him, "It's Thursday! On what day of next week?"  
  
Sora laid back, "Tuesday..........Tuesday at noon. Could go well into the night since this is such a big match. Mor people are entering than I thought."  
  
"How many?" Kairi asked.  
  
"Probably over 100 then there's the teams." Sora replied.  
  
"So it's 100 people then teams. Are you competing in both?" Yuffie asked.  
  
"Well until the last 10 battles you allowed to fight in a team. Then down at the last 10 you go off and pick one member of the team to fight in the last 10, then fight the next day." Sora sighed.  
  
"So I could enter with Squall and then pick him for the individual." Yuffie smiled.   
  
"Not quite." Kairi said sitting down next to Yuffie. "You forget this is a death match. There's the possibility of your team losing. Then if you do win and you pick Squall to go then there's the possibility that he'll lose."  
  
Yuffie sighed, "You always have to bring someone down don't you?"  
  
Sora looked at Yuffie, "I heard there's gonna be a match before then where you just fight. Teams or individuals."  
  
"No death?" Yuffie asked.  
  
Sora shook his head, "Nope, no death."  
  
Yuffie stood up with a smile, "I have to tell Squall!"  
  
"I think that Leon might already know. He's probably been reading the paper all day." Kairi said standing up.  
  
Yuffie smiled, "Oh well no shame in letting him know again."  
  
"No need." A voice said behind them.  
  
Yuffie and Kairi turned around and Leon was there.  
  
"You don't think that I would participate in another match with you do you?" He asked.  
  
"Uhh, I was thinking so." Yuffie said. "Come on Squall it'll be fun."  
  
"If you want to keep going around with me then stop calling me Squall." Leon said.  
  
Yuffie's smile went away, "Come on. What's the big deal with calling you Squall I mean it's your real name."  
  
"Not any more." Leon sighed.  
  
"And why not!" Yuffie yelled.  
  
Kairi and Sora stared at them arguing with each other.  
  
"Do you think if we left they would notice?" Kairi whispered.  
  
"Probably not." Sora whispered back.  
  
"YOUR GONNA PARTICAPATE!" Yuffie yelled.  
  
Leon crossed his arms, "Why should I?"  
  
Yuffie's face went blank and then she crossed her arms and began to walk away.  
  
Kairi and Sora looked at them.  
  
"What happened with you two?" Sora asked picking his keyblade up.  
  
"She's always been like that. Selfish." Leon replied.  
  
"You two have been fighting more often now." Kairi said.  
  
Leon looked at Kairi and then crossed his arms, "We're not fighting she's just being herself and bringing up conflict with me." he sighed, "She's just being herself.....selfish."  
  
"Well you can't blame her for something that she enjoys to do. I mean you like to fight, she likes to fight. You guys both make a great team I don't see why you don't want to fight in that tournament." Kairi said.  
  
"Because I'm tired of it." Leon and said walking away.  
  
Kairi looked at Sora.  
  
"He's tired of fighting?" Sora said with a confused look on his face. "He loves to fight." 


	5. Nightmare of Past

~chapter 5~  
  
Sora dropped his keyblade on his bed and sat in a chair in front of the window staring out at the sea. He looked behind him, his keyblade, his key chains hanging from a hook on the wall. He looked back out the window, "What.......what would have happened to me if none of this ever occurred?" he closed his eyes and drifted to sleep.  
  
A bright white light came over his mind and everything went clear but him. He took a step and it echoed throughout the vast room. He stepped back looking around. Over the place that he was in came a voice, "SORA!"  
  
Sora's head moved quickly trying to follow it but no one was there in his sight. "Sora you lazy bum I knew I'd find you snoozing around here." He looked behind him and he saw Kairi but it was from a while ago. It was before Sora even left. He ran over and then the whole place that he was in was Destiny Islands. He stopped and looked around, "What?" He looked back at Kairi and himself. He ran up to them, "Hey!" but they didn't look at him.  
  
"I had that dream again. I was fighting this big black thing and then it just swallowed me up, I couldn't breathe, I couldn't........" the younger Sora said.  
  
"Right." Kairi said walking past him and staring out into the beach.  
  
Sora sat there for a second the older version looking down at him. He stared at Kairi,  
  
"Kairi do you remember what your home was like, where you grew up?" Sora asked.  
  
"I told you before, I can't remember it." Kairi replied.  
  
The older sora stared at he noticed that the scene had frozen. "Hey wait!" He through his hand over to the other Sora but it turned to stone and he smashed his hand against it causing it to crumble.   
  
Sora sat there in front of the rocks of him clutching his hand, "What...............what is this place?"   
  
Something hit the back of his head. He turned around and Riku was standing there, "What's the matter Sora I thought you liked games?"  
  
Sora stood up, "Riku!" But he just vanished. A crack appeared below him in the ground. It kept spreading as Sora tried to find something to grab But finally he just fell, fell into the darkness.  
  
In his mind he heard voice that seemed far away. He was still in his dream still in darkness. He opened his eyes and looked around as the muffled voice continued to try and yell to get his attention. He looked all around and tried to stand up but the darkness was wrapping around his hands and feet. He reached up his hands and he saw a little light flying down near him. He lowered his hand as the light fly in front of his face. It moved back then engulfed his whole head. When he opened his eyes again he was back on his island as a little kid standing next to Riku.  
  
"I wonder where she came from." Riku said with a smile.  
  
Sora looked at him, "Where am I?"  
  
Riku looked back at him, "What do you mean." He kit Sora's head, "We're still on our measly island."  
  
Sora looked down with his eyes dilating, "How.....how did I get here."  
  
"Sora we don't know, no one knows, not even the mayor knows." Riku sighed, he bent down and looked at his face, "What's wrong with you? I mean don't you know where you live doesn't this place seem real enough to you?"  
  
Sora's eyes went wide and his head shot up looking at Riku, "WHAT DO YOU MEAN REAL! This is a dream Im in it!" He swung his hand up to hit him but Riku's hand caught it. Sora looked at him, Riku's head now down, "This world...........This world."  
  
He let go of his hand and Sora backed away, "No, no, I don't want to hear him again."  
  
Riku's head shot up, "THIS WORLD HAS BEEN TIED TO THE DARKNESS!"  
  
"NO!" Sora yelled, "No it hasn't, cause Kairi was safe when I left her here after I defeated you."  
  
A laugh came over Riku and it soon turned more mad every time. Sora stood there clenching his fist as tears fell to the ground, "You took my friends, you killed innocent people, you've become a mad person searching for more." His head shot up with his eyes even wider and a brighter blue, "YOU'RE NOTHING BUT A KILLER! YOU COULD NEVER BE APART OF ANYONE!" and through a punch right at Riku's face which was now Ansem's and fell through as if in slow motion as he heard his laughter of him still and all the other things that Kairi and Riku had said before he left them. As he approached the ground which was now in a dark grey surrounding Sora thought back again.  
  
"Sora, Im with you don't worry Im going to protect you now." Kairi said.  
  
Sora's eyes closed, "Kairi." and he fell onto his bed and jumped up awake looking around his room madly panting as sweat dripped from his face. "Am I-Am I back--is it real?" He took off his vest and ran downstairs and saw Kairi at the bottom of the stairs coming up. He ran down the stairs faster and hugged Kairi not saying anything.  
  
"Hey Sora are you okay? I heard something fall in your room." Kairi said.  
  
Sora didn't say anything just hugged her.  
  
Kairi smiled and hugged him back and then let go, "Go take a bath you're sweating all over." and then walked down the stairs.  
  
"What's wrong with Sora?" A voice said from behind.  
  
"Something's bothering him, a dream he had." She replied.  
  
A hand slapped itself down on her shoulder and Yuffie walked in front of her with a slight smile, "Well then we shall have to do our best to get him back in the spirit."  
  
Kairi nodded with a smile, "Yep." 


	6. Letter

~Chapter 6~  
  
"What was it?" Sora mumbled as a breeze of wind blew through his hair rustling everything. He wrapped his arms around his legs and side, "Why did I have that dream?"  
  
From a distance a faint voice could be heard yelling that caught his attention.  
  
"SORA!!!!!!!!!!" the voice yelled.  
  
Sora turned around and saw Kairi running up the hill he was sitting on. When she reached him she hit him on the head, "Man your supposed to tell me when you go somewhere, I got worried."  
  
Sora put his head down and hugged him knees again. Kairi's face went calm and she reached her hand out to him, "Sora?..............is something.........is something bothering you?"  
  
There was silence but Sora didn't say anything.  
  
"Fine then..............But I'm going back dinner's gonna be done soon ya know." Kairi said walking back down the hill. She stopped and looked at him and thought to herself, "I know there's something wrong..........he-he never acts like this..............not usually anyways." She stared at him and the wind blew again. 'Sora................'  
  
  
  
Yuffie ran down the stairs and tripped at the bottom spilling her stuff that she was carrying all over the floor. "Ah shoot!" She rushed up and grabbed it all back together putting it into a nice pile. She smiled and then moved her head quickly as an arrow shot down into the floor. She rolled against the table and knocked off the stuff on top.   
  
She sat up as the stuff fell off and looked at the arrow. There was a note around it sealed with a mouse head. Her eyes went wide, "Squall.....he told me about these, the King Mickey sends these to Sora or people he needs to talk to." She crawled over to the arrow and plucked it out of the ground. She looked at the tip, "This arrow it brand new." She looked out the window but no one was around. She looked back at the arrow and pulled the letter off gazing at the seal. "A letter from King Mickey." She opened it slowly trying to make any major rips and then tugged out the note and it read  
  
To you the reader and finder of this note.  
  
The upcoming tournament a surprise shall be there waiting for the keyweilder and his friends.  
  
--anonymous   
  
She looked up with a confused look on her face, "Well what is that supposed to mean. I mean I'm not going to the tournament." She looked back down, "A surprise." A silence went through the building, "What could it be?" Her head shot over as the door knob turned.  
  
Kairi walked through, "Oh hey Yuffie." She looked at her, and then to what was in her hand. "What's that you got there?"  
  
Yuffie's eyes went wide and her head went in all directions and then she closed her eyes with a smile, "Just a letter."  
  
"Can I read.......I mean if it's okay?" Kairi asked.  
  
Yuffie's smile disappeared and she looked at the letter. The keyweilder and his friend.   
  
"Well?" Kairi said again walking up to her.  
  
Yuffie looked at her and handed her the letter, "Ya sure go ahead." and walked up the stairs.  
  
Kairi looked down at the letter and read it. She read it over and over pondering at what it could be. "What surprise? At the tournament?" She slumped down in a chair, "I think Sora should see it maybe Leon too."  
  
Sora,now laying on the ground, fixed his eyes on the grass blades. The sky went a nice bright blue and he saw the younger Kairi sitting in front of him with a smile, she was laughing. Sora's eyes went wide and then he shot up. He grabbed his head, "Who ever is doing this.................Make it stop!"  
  
He fell back spread out with a dazed look on his face, "Why me? Why did it have to be me?" 


	7. A Response

~Chapter 7~  
  
A bag dropped to the floor as a pair of black boot walked past it. A body, with now head shown, sat down in the chair sat down and tapped their fingers against the armrest. He smiled, "It's almost time."  
  
"You think there's something wrong with Sora? Like do you think you know what it is?" Kairi asked. She looked over at Leon who was sitting at the table with his arms crossed and his head down. Kairi stared at him and then put the last dish away, "Well?"  
  
"It's an inner problem." He replied silently.  
  
She leaned against the counter with her hands on it, "What do you mean? Like he's not feeling good?"  
  
"No." he paused. "There's something in his mind. It's showing him images."   
  
"So what's the problem with that?" Kairi asked sitting down with a cup of tea.  
  
"They're images he doesn't want to see." Leon replied getting up and walking out.  
  
Kairi sighed and got up leaving her tea on the table. She walked up the stairs and up into her room and sat down on the bed. She opened the drawer of her nightstand table and pulled out a piece of paper, the letter they received mysteriously the other day. "Leon read it and he didn't do anything. Yuffie I didn't get a chance to talk to." She looked up and out through the door, "Where did she go anyways?........She had a whole bunch of stuff on the floor yesterday, like some shirukens and some extra clothes. What if she's leaving?" She got up and left the letter on her bed and ran into Yuffie's room. She looked around, everything neat but still in an odd way. She sighed and then walked out closing the door. On the back of the door though was a list. A list of participants for what said a tournament.  
  
  
  
"GET UP!" Donald yelled whacking Sora in the back of the head. "You have some serious training to do!"  
  
Sora looked at him then flicked him in the head, "Would you shut up about training, that's all you ever make me do."  
  
"Because you have a serious event coming up and if you lose!!!!!!!!!!!" Donald began to yell.  
  
"You die, "Sora finished, "YES I know but I'm tired of training, couldn't ya like.............go do training on your own, go train with Goofy."  
  
Donald looked at him, "Fine if you wanna die go ahead, your funeral." and walked away.  
  
Sora watched him and then sighed and stood up. He yawned and stretched and then walked down the hill into the town. He walked down the road passing people houses while little children played in their yards. People ran down the hills, people eating outside, just over all being happy.   
  
He put his hands in his pocket and stopped walking with his head down. A girl walked past him dark blue boots and carrying a bag. She she got past him he turned around and his eyes went wide. The girl was wearing a plaid skirt and looked just like Kairi. He wanted to run up and see her but he couldn't. She disappeared down the hill soon after. He turned back around and kept walking down the dirt path. He soon reached a house with an iron gate around it. He pushed it open and walked into the yard.  
  
Kairi leaned out the window, "BOUT TIME!"  
  
His head shot up and he smiled, "Sorry I was thinking again."  
  
"You've been thinking a lot lately haven't you?" Kairi asked.  
  
His eyes went wide again as a picture flashed through his mind. Kairi, Riku, and him back on he island sitting on the poupu tree talking. Riku said he was thinking and then Kairi said that same thing.   
  
"Hey Sora." Kairi said.  
  
He shook his head as the memory faded. He looked up at her, "Ya?"  
  
"What have you been thinking about anyways?" She asked.  
  
"Huh?"   
  
"What have you been thinking about? Leon says that images are going through your mind." She said.  
  
"Oh ya images." He said putting his hands in his pockets again.  
  
"Only he said they were bad images." She said reaching into her pocket.  
  
Sora looked at her, "The images................they're haunting me. They're from the past. Past things that I heard from people. Like you and Riku. Like when we were on the island but then you turned into stone, me too. Riku he acted strangely like he was possessed by--by him."  
  
"By who?" She asked.  
  
"By Ansem............" He replied.  
  
"Who's that?" She asked again.  
  
"The person I fought, I fought him right before I saw you that last time. When we were separated from each other." He replied.  
  
"So...........what.......they scared you?" She said leaning over.  
  
He put his head down and then nodded slowly, "It was something that just struck me. It hurt to hear it, to see it."  
  
Kairi stared at him and then remembered, "OH! This letter came in the other day. You just haven't been here for me to give it to you. If ya ask me it's kinda creepy."  
  
He looked up and took the letter and read it. He looked up at Kairi but she had already gone inside. "A surprise." He smiled and then pulled his keyblade out and put it down like a staff, "Well then I'll just have to see this surprise." 


	8. No partner

~Chapter 8~  
  
Sora dropped his oathkeeper on the ground and sat down next to it, "Can we stop now?"  
  
"No we have to keep training." Donald said walking up to him. "The competition is tomorrow and you're not ready."  
  
Sora sighed, "But I'm ready." he looked at Donald, "You're the one who's not."  
  
"EXCUSE ME!" Donald yelled jumping around.  
  
As Donald kept yelling Sora notice someone walking down the dirt road. It was the same girl as the other day who he saw.  
  
"Obviously you don't get it, if you lose then." He looked at over where Sora was but he was gone running down the hill after to girl.  
  
As he ran he kept thinking to himself, "I know I know her, I just can't remember how." As he approached her he held out his hand but got pulled back down to the ground. He watched her walk away down the road.  
  
"You have to train!" Donald yelled, "No time for girls not today."  
  
Sora looked at him.  
  
"There's a competition going on today." Goofy added.  
  
Sora looked at him, "A competition?"  
  
"NO!" Donald yelled, "No time for going to watch people we have to TRAIN!" He turned around but they were already walking off.  
  
"Who's gonna participate?" Sora asked.  
  
"I don't know." Goofy replied.  
  
Donald shook his head, "Why did it have to be those two? Out of everyone else it had to be them." and started off after them.  
  
"Is it going to happen?" A man asked from the darkness of a corner.  
  
A cloaked man nodded, "Yes sir the target is there and so is he."  
  
The man's eyes lit up clearly in the dark, "Then they shall be taken care of?"  
  
The cloaked man nodded, "Yes, but we've encountered a problem."  
  
The man glared his eyes at him, "And that would be?"  
  
"There has been news of a boy going around the town. He seems to be looking for the target to protect him." The cloaked man replied.  
  
"And this boy would pose a threat how?" the man asked.  
  
"He wields the keyblades as well." he answered.  
  
The man leaned back in his chair, "Wields the keyblades."  
  
The cloaked man nodded, "Yes sir."  
  
He glared his eyes again, "Very well we will do something when the time calls for it but for now leave."  
  
The cloaked man bowed and left the room.  
  
"I thought there were only three keyblade wielders. How did this boy manage to get keyblades?" The man pondered. His eyes went wide then glared again into the darkness, "The king. The king sent him."  
  
  
  
Sora pushed the coliseum gates and walked in. There were hundreds of people there for the tournament, some watchers and then the competitors.  
  
"SORA!" someone yelled through the crowd.  
  
Sora looked down and saw Kairi and Leon pushing through the crowd.  
  
"Where have you been, We've been holding down seats for you OR are you competing?" Kairi asked.  
  
"No, have to keep my strength up for tomorrow." Sora replied looking around, "Where's Yuffie?"  
  
"She hasn't been around all week." Kairi replied looking around as well.  
  
"She probably went off to join the circus." Leon sighed.  
  
"LEON!" Kairi yelled looking at him.  
  
"What she probably did that's all she ever does in battle, aerobics. Always flipping all over the place, do you know how hard it is to concentrate while someone is going all around you saying, 'Look at me I can flip!' or 'Watch out for my shiruken' it's really annoying."  
  
"She's your partner." Sora said looked at him.  
  
"Not anymore." Leon said walking off into the crowd.  
  
Kairi sighed, "He's changed so much since you left."  
  
"And Yuffie didn't?" Sora said looking around.  
  
"Well ever since Aeris left." Kairi paused. She looked up at him, "It's as if They were never a team or friends." 


	9. Yuffie's battle

~Chapter 9~  
  
Sora walked onto the bleachers and looked down at the battle arena. "I've been here too many times."  
  
Kairi smiled sitting down, "And I've never been here before."  
  
"Well it's not much." Donald sighed.  
  
"Just fighting and all that stuff." Goofy added.  
  
"Well I guess it should be exciting." Kairi smiled looking down at the battle arena.  
  
"You got that right." Yuffie said jumping down and sitting next to her.  
  
Kairi looked at her, "There you are!"  
  
Yuffie smiled, "I've been wondering around looking at the competition." She looked around, "So far it doesn't seem as if anyone should be here."  
  
"What do you mean?" Sora asked.  
  
"Well the competition for this tournament is pretty weak I mean I could go in there and beat them."  
  
"Oh so they're that weak." Sora smiled.  
  
Yuffie glared at him and then punched his head, "WHAT DID YOU SAY!?"  
  
Kairi smiled as she looked around the stadium. A large black room shaped like a box hanging from the walls of the corner caught her eye. She looked back at Sora, now covered in bumps, "What's that?"  
  
Sora shook his head and looked up at the room, "I don't know, never seen it before."  
  
"Neither have I." Yuffie added, "And I've been here longer than you. It must be a spectator's box, you know for those important people."  
  
"Which I'm not." Sora sighed, "I'm the keyblade wielder known far and wide of what I do and I don't get a special room."  
  
"They probably thought you were going to participate." Kairi said.  
  
The doors cage doors opened and Phil walked through with a bull horn.  
  
"Nice to see some things haven't changed." Sora laughed, "Phil still looks that same."  
  
"WELCOME TO THE AMATURE CUP!" Phil yelled.  
  
"Amature?!" Yuffie said to herself, "What does he mean amature?"  
  
"This cup doesn't compete to the one for tomorrow." Sora replied watching Phil."  
  
As he finished all the rules the first tow competitors walked through the gates as Phil left.  
  
"These guys got nothing I mean they have no source of power NOT to mention no lack of skill." Yuffie sighed.  
  
Kairi and Sora looked at her.  
  
"Be quiet and watch." Sora sighed.  
  
As Yuffie had implied the competitors had no skill and the match was over in a few minutes with no excitement. As the competition rolled on the players seemed to get worse. As the next one came up a man with a long chain walked out onto the battle arena.  
  
"Where's the competitor?" Sora asked.  
  
"I gotta go to the bathroom I'll be right back." Yuffie said getting up and walking off.  
  
"Do you think she's planning something?" Kairi asked.  
  
Sora looked at her, "Well it is Yuffie, and plus even if she was she can handle herself."  
  
Kairi watched her walk through the doors and then looked back at the arena, "Right even if Leon's not with her."  
  
"WILL THE COMPETITOR APPROACH THE ARENA! OR THEY SHALL BE DISQUALIFIED!" Phil yelled over the speaker.  
  
A light shined down on the area and something flashy flew around the Man with the chains. As is flew into the ground and stuck up straight Yuffie jumped down on it as the crowd cheered.  
  
"What is she doing!" Sora yelled standing up with Kairi.  
  
"Competing." Kairi replied looking down.  
  
Yuffie jumped off and pulled her shiruken out of the ground and put it over her shoulder with a smile.  
  
Leon walked in and leaned against the wall glaring down at her.  
  
Yuffie walked up to her competitor and reached out her hand, "I'm Yuffie."  
  
The Man glared down at her but didn't shake her hand instead he turned around looked at the black room, "I have to fight this child?!"  
  
"START!" Phil yelled over the speaker.  
  
Leon smiled as he crossed his arms, "This might be interesting."  
  
"A child eh?" Yuffie smiled. She looked up at him, "Well then it would be quite a shame for you to go home and tell your friends and family you got beat by a child no less a girl."   
  
"And what are you gonna do through your little stars at me?" The man asked pulling his chains up.  
  
Yuffie smiled, "Maybe."  
  
The man looked at her then took a step further and slowly started to lean forward showing seven shirukens stuck in his back.  
  
Yuffie looked at him with a smile.  
  
"That's a might nice trick you got there." The man smiled standing back up straight as the shirukens fell out, "To bad my back is to tough to be affected."  
  
Yuffie's smile disappeared as she saw her shirukens fall. She smiled a fake smile. He pulled up his chains and smiled, "Lucky O'l you gets to get beaten by a man." He flung them up in the air and Yuffie ran towards the boundaries of the arena.  
  
"Where are you going fool!" The man yelled throwing his chains at her.  
  
Yuffie put her giant shiruken away and ran up the boundary missing the chains and flipped up into the air. She pulled out her giant shiruken and jumped down on his back.  
  
"She's doing pretty good." Sora smiled.  
  
"Can she keep it up though?" Kairi asked.  
  
Leon stared at the movements the man made as he tried to shove her off, "His chains, they weigh to much making it harder to move around."  
  
"I told you those things don't affect me." The man laughed.  
  
Yuffie smiled and jabbed her shiruken in his neck and gave it a kick. The man let out a loud screech and started to run around dragging his chains behind him screaming. He whipped around knocking Yuffie off onto the ground in pain.  
  
Leon's eyed went wide and then he closed them.  
  
"She's your partner." Sora repeated in his head.   
  
Leon shook his head and walked out of the arena area hands in fists.  
  
Yuffie opened her eyes to see a chain wrapped around her ankle. She jumped up and looked at hem man who had blood trickling down his sides as he smiled, "That actually hurt."  
  
Yuffie glared at him, no smile.  
  
"You look upset." The man laughed as he pulled the chains making Yuffie fall to the ground again. "Might as well stay down there cause that's where you'll end up."  
  
Yuffie closed her eyes and jumped into the air pulling out her shiruken. She throw it around the man and then jumped on it flying around him as the chained squeezed him. As she headed up it wrapped around his neck. He smiled and then fell causing pulling Yuffie off her shiruken and back to the ground and her shiruken next her sticking straight out of the ground and quietly said to herself in pain, "Leon." 


	10. Step In

~Chapter 10~  
  
"Do you think she can get out of this one?" Kairi asked looking at Sora.  
  
"I don't know it's a pretty tough decision." He replied. He looked around the bleachers as the people screamed and yelled, "Where's Leon when you need him."  
  
  
  
Yuffie stood up slowly pulling her shiruken out of the ground. She wiped a strip of blood from her mouth and stood up straight staring at the Man.  
  
"Are you gonna quit your play and just stay on the ground like a real girl." the man smiled.  
  
Yuffie smiled, "That's what the weak girls would do."  
  
The man glared his eyes at her, "And you're not one?"  
  
"How many girls have you seen get up after you throw them down?"  
  
The man gripped his chains in his hands tighter and smiled, "Not many." He pulled his chains quickly.  
  
Yuffie dug her shiruken down in the chain into the ground so it couldn't get pulled any further, "I'm sorry did I stop your chain from moving?"  
  
"Maybe." He smiled. He pulled out a thicker heavier chain from a bag around his back and whipped it around.  
  
Yuffie stared at it and made a slight smile, "Well.....heh isn't that uh nice."  
  
"That chain will kill her it weighs so much." Sora said watching.  
  
Yuffie watched it fly over her. She pulled the shiruken out of the ground and held it above her head. The man smiled and pulled the chain making her fall and drop her shiruken.  
  
Kairi grabbed Sora's arm, "Do something!"  
  
"I can't feel my arm." Sora mumbled as she shook him.  
  
Yuffie stared up at the chain and shut her eyes tightly, "I wanna go home." Just as she thought the chain was going to come down on her her heard a faint click and the whole crowd standing up. She opened her eyes and saw a blade over her head.  
  
"LEON!" Sora yelled from the stands.  
  
Yuffie looked to her right and smiled, "I knew you would come!"  
  
Leon threw the chain off his gunblade helped her up. He sighed, "Well it finally struck me that you were really my only true friend. Yuffie squealed with a giant smile and hugged him.  
  
"NO HUG NO HUG!" Leon yelled pushing her off.  
  
She crossed her arms with a smile, "Nice to see some things never change. Oh and looky you got the chain off my ankle."  
  
"Just do what you came here to do." Leon sighed.  
  
Yuffie pulled her shiruken up off the ground, "To win you mean?"  
  
"Ya." he smiled.  
  
"Kairi!" Sora screamed.  
  
"What?" Kairi asde looking at the battle arena.  
  
"LET GO OF MY ARM!" He screamed.  
  
Kairi looked at him and let go, "Heh sorry."  
  
Leon's gunblade started to glow blue and grew longer, "You ready for this?"  
  
"I've been waiting for you to step in to be." Yuffie smiled gripping her shiruken.  
  
"So you knew I was coming then? Then why didn't you just sign me up then?" Leon smiled.  
  
"What and miss the surprise on others faces for you to come here and help me." She laughed.  
  
"Don't you mean save, you were almost killed." He sighed.  
  
"Would you both shut up and get on with it already!" The man yelled pulling out another chain. He throw two out at them and then ran at them.  
  
They both jumped on the chain and run up it. Yuffie jumped onto hit back again while Leon jumped to the ground right in front of him. She jabbed her giant shiruken into his neck again over the partially dried scab from before. He her screamed in pain she jumped off. The man shut his eyes forgetting about Leon but ran right towards him. He lifted up his blade and he ran right into it cutting all down his chest from hie face to stomach and knocking him backwards with chains in hands just falling behind Yuffie.  
  
"I call that a win." She smiled pulling her shiruken out of his neck.  
  
The whole crowd jumped up from the stands cheering them both on. Yuffie ran from behind Leon and jumped on his back and hugging him around the neck, "Thank you thank you thank you!"  
  
"I can't breathe." he mumbled.  
  
"If it wasn't for you I would have been killed!" She laughed.  
  
"If you keep holding on I'll kill you!" He mumbled on.  
  
She smiled and jumped off, "You haven't changed."  
  
He glared at her, "Excuse me?"  
  
She laughed and ran danced around, "We won we won we won!"  
  
Leon stopped her, "You know that was only your first round."  
  
Her smile disappeared, "You just have to ruin the party don't you!" 


End file.
